Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail 533 Ghana Society Under the scorching afternoon sun of Bolgatanga, a rural community north of Ghana, Patience Apambila is splitting strands of dry grass in preparation for weaving them into baskets. More Articles You Would Love #MODELCRUSH: Check Out Sydney Harper, The Stunning Black Face Shaking The Internet With Pure Beauty This Week’s Outfit Inspiration From Instagram Are Everything Stylish; Take A Look Apambila is one of 200,000 women in Bolgatanga, Bolga for short, who create handwoven Veta Vera grass baskets, famously known as Bolga Baskets. One of Ghana’s biggest Bolga basket exporters, Dominic Abakuri says the practice of weaving baskets is a traditional skill as old as the community and has been passed on from generations. Bolga’s soil is not fertile enough for commercial agricultural activities alone. As a result, handwork like pottery and basket weaving are undertaken by women too. But weaving Bolga baskets is beyond continuing an age long tradition, it is also about creating jobs. Exporters and local retailers organize these women all year round and pay them to weave the Bolga baskets based on demand. A lot of women from the community are poor, so, making and selling baskets serve as an additional source of income for them. Apambila, for example, can take care of some family needs from the money she makes weaving these baskets. “It helps us to set up our children’s school bills and do a lot of things,” she said. Boosting the economy Ghana’s non-traditional export sector, which basket weaving falls under, contributes about 20% to the country’s export trade, says Afua Asabea Asare, CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority. Through Bolga basket exports to key markets such as the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand, the sector is increasing its sales potential. Asare added that in 2017, Ghana exported roughly $800,000 worth of baskets to the international market, “A lot of countries are interested in our baskets. Denmark, and even the Ghanaian markets,” she said. CNN Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail Nana Tamakloe Founder of FashionGHANA.com and Accra Fashion Week. I'm grateful you visited, I hope you share, subscribe and share your comments or opinions below. More For You Farewell to a Trailblazer: Guinea-Bissau’s Dina Adão Passes Away, Leaving a Legacy On... VIDEOS: Watch Chidimma Vanessa Celebrate At Miss Universe 2024 Whilst Dancing To Ghanaian... Africans Have Proudly Accepted Trick Daddy’S Claim As A Non ‘African American’ –... Stunning Cassandre Jacques Exits Miss World Dominican Rupublic Amid Uproar Over Haitian Heritage... #MODELCRUSH: Senegal’s Rising Star Ndey Touty Sakho Checks All Beauty Boxes & Effortlessly... VIDEO: “Are You Happy Sleeping With A Married Man?” Designer Gracelyn Quansah Walks... 6 Tips to Help You Take Care of Your Curly Hair VIDEO: Watch The Moment Miss Grand Ghana 2024 Won Best Evening Gown VIDEOS: Watch Davido Kingly Strutt Down The Lagos Fashion Week 2024 Runway Showing... Jewelry Trends We’ve Been Seeing for Winter